This morning, I picked up my phone to see four different news alerts telling me that Bernie Sanders had dropped out the race for the Democratic nomination.
Needless to say, I was disappointed. It made sense, from a political perspective; Sanders was 300 delegates behind Biden with virtually no chance of catching up. The race was over, as much as it pains me to say it.
Regardless, our current crisis has brought the systemic flaws in our system to the forefront of the national consciousness. And with that comes an increased need for the progressive solutions to those issues. Solutions that Bernie Sanders has long championed.
With inessential workers either out of a job or working remotely from home, it is essential workers - including grocery store employees, fast food workers, janitors, and Amazon employees - who are helping keep society running. These workers are, in the government's own words, essential. They are providing the last semblance of normality we have, and quite literally putting themselves in harm's way to do so. And yet many of these workers are paid wages too low to live on.
A higher minimum wage is necessary and something Bernie Sanders had stood for long before calls for $15 an hour were common among left-leaning politicians. And while some companies have taken the initiative to raise worker's pay in face of the coronavirus, relying on the generosity of corporations to not pay their employees starvation wages is dangerous. Especially when their employees could be exposed to a virus that could cost tens of thousands of dollars to treat.
This fear of needing treatment and not being able to pay for it has also strengthened what has long been seen as Sander's most radical policy: universal health care.
As of April 3rd, the coronavirus pandemic had pushed the US unemployment rate to 4.4%, with the country losing 701,000 jobs. Some economists have that unemployment rate jumping much higher.
With the loss of jobs comes the loss of insurance. Thousands of people are scrambling to get coverage in case they get sick. And while uninsured Americans can try registering through the Affordable Care Act or seeing if they qualify for Medicaid, paying for possible treatment is still a real concern. Although Congress has passed legislation making coronavirus testing free, no such federal support has been established to help Americans pay for treatment should they require hospitalization. Some insurance companies have taken the step to waive out-of-pocket costs for coronavirus patients, but many people, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured, are still unable to afford treatment.
With the patchwork system of different insurers setting different policies regarding COVID-19 treatment, confusion and worry over cost may dissuade sick people from seeking the treatment they need. Already, low-income areas are seeing some of the worst effects of this pandemic. The Bronx, New York City's poorest borough, has seen its residents die from COVID-19 at a rate roughly double that of the rest of the city.
People need assured access to quality healthcare that isn't going to bankrupt them. Bernie Sanders fought for that.
Although he won't be out next president, I'm grateful to Senator Sanders for being a champion for progressive values. This crisis has shown how badly we need them.
